Strong winds damage Lunar New Year fairs in Hong Kong, forcing 1 to close

Strong winds have blown down tents at Lunar New Year fairs at various districts in Hong Kong, forcing one in Kowloon to close for urgent repairs on Monday.

Authorities said they aimed to reopen the fair at Cheung Sha Wan Playground in Sham Shui Po in the evening, acknowledging the importance of the “golden period” for vendors’ business.

Social media photos of the fair, which can host up to 89 stalls, showed shelves full of potted plants and flowers toppled on the floor. A section of the booth tents were also blown over, while goods were strewn on the ground.

Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology, inspected the site on Monday morning, directing colleagues to remove the toppled tents and help vendors restore their stalls as soon as possible, according to the Food and Hygiene Department’s Facebook post.

The closure was announced by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department on Monday, hours after the strong monsoon signal was issued by the weather forecaster.

“Some stalls … were damaged by strong winds early this morning and are now under repair by relevant stall licensees,” said the department. “The [Lunar New Year] fair will reopen as soon as possible once the repairs are completed.”

Other images showed another bazaar at Tsz Wan Shan Central Playground facing similar damage, with stalls collapsing on Sunday night.